Vegan with a Vengeance

seed mixture on both sides until the tofu is well coated with seeds. Repeat until all eight pieces are ready. Using tongs, lower the pieces into the oil (you may have to do it in two batches). Fry for 3 minutes on one side and about 2½ minutes on the second side. Remove from the oil and transfer to flattened paper bags or paper towels to drain the excess oil. Serve with roasted pumpkin.
    PUNK POINTS
    When frying, the temperature of the oil is really important. Too hot and the food will burn; too cool and it won’t cook properly. A frying thermometer is a pretty important accessory to have for this kinda stuff. If you don’t have one, there are several methods to test if the oil is ready. One is to drop in some crumbs and see if bubbles form around it quickly; if the bubbles are out of control and smoky, it’s too hot. If they are slow to form, the oil may need more heat or just a little more time. You can also use a wooden spoon: dunk in the handle and if bubbles quickly surround it, the oil is ready.
Cranberry Relish
    2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
    Â½ cup pure maple syrup
    Â½ cup water
    Â¼ cup fresh orange juice
    1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
    Mix together all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Bring to room temperature and serve.

Seitan
    MAKES ROUGHLY 6 CUPS
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    In traditional seitan, the wheat flour is washed and kneaded three times over two days in order to develop the wheat gluten. I speed things up in this recipe by using vital wheat gluten flour. The flavoring for this goes well with pretty much anything, but depending what you are using it for you can change the flavors a bit by adding finely chopped herbs. Or, if you’re making something Asian or Indian, some grated ginger would be nice. The first time I made seitan I used a recipe from the book Vegan Vittles. This recipe was inspired by that one, but has been modified over the years to make it even more awesome.
    2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
    Â¼ cup nutritional yeast
    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    1 cup cold water or vegetable broth
    Â½ cup soy sauce
    1 tablespoon tomato paste
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated on a Microplane grater
    1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
    BROTH
    12 cups water or vegetable broth
    Â½ cup soy sauce
    In a large bowl, mix together vital wheat gluten flour, nutritional yeast, and all-purpose flour. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients through the lemon zest.
    Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine with a firm spatula. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until spongy and elastic. Let the dough rest for a couple of minutes. In the meantime, stir together the ingredients for the broth in a large saucepot (do not boil the broth at this point).
    Roll the dough into a log shape about 10 inches long and cut it into 6 pieces of roughly equal size. Place the pieces in the broth. It is important that the broth be very cold when you add the dough, which makes for a nicer texture and ensures that the seitan doesn’t fall apart. Partially cover the pot (leave a little space for steam to escape) and bring the broth to a boil.
    When the broth has come to a boil, set the heat to low and gently simmer for an hour, turning the pieces every now and again.
    Turn off the heat and let the broth and seitan cool for at least a 30 minutes. This will produce a firmer seitan. It is best to let everything cool completely before removing the seitan from the broth.
    What you do next depends on the recipe you are using. If storing the seitan for later use, slice it into bite-size chunks, put it into a sealable container, and cover with broth. Seal the container and place it in the fridge for up to five days.

Jerk Seitan
    SERVES 4-6
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    My favorite Brooklyn soul food restaurant closed without warning one day and I was left pressing my face against the glass, hoping against hope that it might somehow open again but it never did. They served the best jerk sauce known to woman. There isn’t that much in the way of vegetarian soul food in Brooklyn so I took matters into my own hands and came up with this dish that satisfies my cravings quite nicely. This is the sort of recipe you can really play around with to your tastes. I rely on dry spices and pantry staples that are easy to substitute; the lime can be subbed with 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, the maple